Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana

Synonymous with New Haven Apizza (or ah-beetz in Neapolitan dialect), Pepe's has been serving customers in their Wooster Street restaurant since 1925. Born in Maiori, Italy, Frank Pepe immigrated to New Haven in 1909 and after working for a macaroni manufacturer and a bread bakery, he set off to start his own business. He and his wife, Filomena, started Frank Pepe's Pizzeria and employed a small group of their relatives. The restaurant has since expanded in recent years, adding six locations in Connecticut, one in Massachusetts and one in New York.

When they first opened they only sold two pizzas: the Original Tomato Pie and Anchovy. The Original Tomato Pie is still available today with crushed Italian tomatoes, olive oil and a light dusting of grated cheese. And in the 1960's they introduced their famous White Clam Pizza, using freshly shucked Rhode Island little neck clams. Both are staples on the menu and are cooked in their large coal fired oven resulting in that signature New Haven Apizza dough: oblong in shape and chewy with a crust that is thin and charred.

Pepe's isn't somewhere you go to pop-in for a quick bite. At least not at their New Haven location. Expect to wait in a long line, sometimes extending down the block during the warmer months. While we highly recommend their New Haven restaurant for the best experience, if long lines aren't your thing you can always order your pizza to-go, come during lunch during the colder months or try one of their other Connecticut locations.